Nowhere but Up
by psykotik
Summary: Hermione finds a new life, a new love, and a new world. How will she take in all the new changes in her life? EPILOGUE UP RR
1. Prologue

Nowhere but Up  
  
Prologue  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own anything in this story, sans for the plot. Oh, and JK Rowling is Queen.  
  
Hermione's POV  
  
I have to remember to be quick. Headmaster Potter would want me to be out before his wife got there. Oh, he makes me so angry, though! 'Why did he marry Lavender Brown?!' I thought to myself furiously. 'She's such a git and a total girly-girl.' But, you know, I didn't do much better. Actually, I didn't do any better, because I never actually got married.  
  
A drawling voice erupted from behind me. "Hmm, it seems the Mudblood has made something of herself, doesn't it?"  
  
'Malfoy.'  
  
"Isn't it customary to say hello to someone when you see them? Or do Muggles have less manners than I thought?"  
  
'Don't turn around, just keep walking. Why do I want to talk to him anyway?'  
  
"Excuse me!" He reached out his hand and jerked me around by the shoulder. "Well, well, well, it seems you're not quite as bad looking as I would have thought you to become."  
  
I kept on looking at my feet. Not until he spoke the last bit of his sentence did I dare look up into his face. He may not have known this, but I had the biggest crush on him since seventh year. He became Minister of Magic, and I became the new Transfiguration teacher after McGonagall had passed on.  
  
"Pardon?" I said stupidly, giving him a disbelieving glare. "What did you say? I didn't quite catch it."  
  
"I said," he replied with a smirk that I just wanted to rip off of his face. "You're quite pretty, not at all what I would have expected from a Mudblood."  
  
I smiled sarcastically. "Well, I'm glad you noticed. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have business with the headmaster."  
  
"Yes, I hear dear old Wonder Boy made headmaster after Dumbledore croaked. So how is he? Horrible, I hope." Malfoy wore a nonchalant look; it was almost as annoying as his superior smirk. But I held my tongue, about that at least.  
  
"Oh, he's married. To Lavender Brown. They've got two kids. Sirius and James. Ron's both their godfather. Parvati's their godmother. How have you been?" I wiped some invisible lent off of my robes absentmindedly. I was quite angry when I found out that Parvati Patil had become Harry's sons' godmother and I hadn't even been considered for the opportunity.  
  
"Quite well, Mudblood. Still no wife, though that fat oaf Pansy Parkinson won't leave me the hell alone. You know what it's like to be idled so much, right Granger? Oh, wait, I'm sorry, you don't know." He screwed up his face, trying to look as superior as he possibly could, and let out his annoyingly harmonious laughter. "But I've become the Minister of Magic. Fudge was a fool and never should have gotten it. I will turn the wizarding world around. But what would a muggle-born fool like you know a true leader when you see one?"  
  
I rolled my eyes and turned my back to him. "I really must be going now, Malfoy." I said, starting to walk down the corridor. It felt good to know that I'd just turned my back on Malfoy, as I had done about a million times during my Hogwarts schooldays, but this was different. He didn't grab my hair or hex me like he normally did. Yes, he called me a Mudblood, but I'd gotten used to the fact that I was muggle-born and there was absolutely no need to feel bad, and I felt proud to be one.  
  
'So Malfoy's finally starting to grow up. Well, that's always good to know.' I thought as I entered Harry's office. To my dismay, Lavender was already there, sitting on his lap and cuddling the two baby boys in her arms while Harry tickled their noses.  
  
I cleared my throat loudly, and they both looked to me. Harry pushed Lavender off his lap, adjusted his glasses, and shuffled some parchment on his desk. Lavender placed the two babies in their carrying baskets and smiled at me. Her face was worn, probably from the lack of sleep you acquire when your husband stays at Hogwarts and you have two babies to tend to.  
  
"Hermione, you're late." Harry spat at me. Since his seventh year, he had stopped being the Harry I once knew, and became this new breed of himself that I didn't much like. "Well, have a seat, have a seat. I don't want to be kept waiting very long."  
  
I smiled in an annoyed sort of way, lifted my robes as I ascended the steps onto the platform his desk was on, and sat down on a gold armchair across from him. "Yes, well, I ran into an old friend."  
  
He smiled wide. "Oh, Ron is here? I wanted a chance to tell him-"  
  
I cleared my throat again and he stopped speaking at once, staring back at me, looking insulted. "No, not Ronald Weasley. I'm sorry to disappoint you, Headmaster." I was fed up with him and his assumptions. Always Ron! Whenever Ron went to visit him and was late, he didn't throw a fit, even if Lavender was there. Whenever Ron said he ran into an old friend, he wouldn't go,  
  
"Oh, Hermione?"  
  
but would instead say,  
  
"Yes, and who would that be?"  
  
I hated working for him. But that was a minor price I had to pay to do what I loved to do - Transfiguration. Lavender looked at me menacingly. She was about to say something, but Harry put up his hand and stopped her. "Well," he said, looking at me straight in the eyes, "who was it?"  
  
I shook my head. "That is my business."  
  
"OH?!" Lavender couldn't hold it in any longer. "YOU ARE SO JEALOUS OF ME BECAUSE I MARRIED HARRY, RIGHT? THAT'S WHY YOU'RE BEING SUCH A LITTLE PRAT! WELL, LOOKIE HERE, MISSY! HE ONLY HIRED YOU AFTER MCGONAGALL DIED BECAUSE I ASKED HIM TO!"  
  
Harry glared at her, then at me, then back at Lavender. "Lavender, I'll ask that you hold your tongue. Now, I'm sorry to boot you out like this, but please take Sirius and James and leave. Professor Granger and I have some business to attend to."  
  
Reluctantly, Lavender picked up the two baskets filled with the twin boys, gave Harry a peck on the cheek, and left the room. "Hermione," he said, once he was sure his wife had gone. "Why do you persist? I try everything to get you back as a friend, and all you do is pull away! What do you hope to accomplish my doing this?"  
  
"Nothing. That's what you want to accomplish, isn't it? Anyway, back to the matter I came here for."  
  
"Yes, yes. Mustn't forget that. Now, why did you come here?"  
  
I pulled a piece of parchment from an inside pocket of my robes and handed it to Harry. "This is my letter of resignation. I will be leaving at the end of term in three weeks. Until then, Headmaster." Getting up, I wiped a few more invisible pieces of lent off of my robes and strode across the room to the door. I heard it click, and when Harry did not stop me after a moment, I looked back at him, smiled, and walked out of the room. 


	2. Life

Nowhere but Up  
  
Chapter 1 - Life  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own anything in this story, sans for the plot. Oh, and JK Rowling is Queen.  
  
Hermione's POV  
  
I walked down the hallway with a newfound sense of pride. All seven years of school, I was never the one who defied the professors, let alone the headmaster, yet Harry had done so far too many times to count. And now, I, the muggle-born witch with a nose permanently glued to her nose, had done what she'd long to do since the moment she saw Harry fight off Voldemort in their first year.  
  
My happy appearance couldn't have lasted for longer than ten or twenty minutes. It soon dawned on me that I was going to have to find a place to stay. 'Well,' I thought as I made a right and continued walking down the corridors. 'I could always stay with Cho Chang. Or maybe Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan. Yes, Dean and Seamus would probably be the best bet. Better give them a call instead of just showing up.'  
  
Cho and I had been friends ever since the start of our sixth year, seeing as how she gave up trying to spite me and just asked out Harry herself. She realized that he had no interest in me other than someone he could get answers from or an occasional friend now that he'd become quite fond of girls, Cho in particular. However, Harry then discovered how much more healing time Cho needed before she'd get over Cedric's death, but I had come to that realization since the time I saw Cho's face when Dumbledore announced Cedric had been murdered.  
  
Dean and Seamus, right into their seventh year, discovered something that shocked all of us. They had always wondered why, even when girls were attracted to them, they never seemed to find an attraction for girls, and so had everyone else. Then the two discovered their homosexuality, and even though the whole school was a bit creeped out at the fact, everyone came to accept it. After all, it wasn't like they were hitting on every guy in the hall, because they already figured that they should just stay together. And even so, they wouldn't kiss or hold hands in the common room and corridors and such - they kept mainly to themselves. But now that I knew that they were already in a relationship, for an odd reason I'm not sure of, I grew closer to them and we became best of friends - the three of us. Again, I was the only girl in this newfound friendship.  
  
I finally reached my office. It was going to be hard to find a way to say goodbye to all of my students. They were like family to me, and I loved them with all of my heart. But it had to be done. After all, I couldn't just say goodbye to Harry and take them all with me! Oh, but that's what I wanted to do so badly my heart ached and my head throbbed. "What am I going to do?" I said to myself, as a few tears formed and dripped off my cheek. "How am I going to support myself? Yes, I have friends who would understand, but I wouldn't feel right just barging in on them. 'Maybe I should just run back up to Harry's office and tell him it was all just a joke, a gag from an old friend. But then he'd see that I was just a big coward and laugh. He knows me all too well to expect a joke such as that from me.'  
  
Then it struck me - Malfoy. He indefinitely hated me, but the way he had look at me and the way he spoke. . . It was like I wasn't speaking to Draco Malfoy, but some angel in his body, with his voice, with the spite in his eyes whenever he spoke of Harry Potter or Ron Weasley. 'But what if he laughs at me when I ask him?' I thought, still pondering. 'What if his kindness was just a show so he could make fun of me when I ask of him something?' But that was a chance I was going to need to take.  
  
As quick as I could, I ran out of my office and down the halls. Surely he couldn't have gotten too far, could he? No, actually, he hadn't. When I came out of Harry's office, I probably missed him, because he was standing right outside the door. I slowed my pace to a mere walk. My legs were beginning to tremble and my face felt like it was on fire. But I walked right up to Malfoy and smiled as sweetly as I could. He glared back at me menacingly, but I stood my ground.  
  
"I take it you wanna stay with me while you're out of work?" He said, turning a nonchalant look to Parvati Patil, Divinations professor, who was walking down the corridor with her cards trailing her. "Well, come on then."  
  
"But. but how'd you know?" I said, grabbing his hand attempting to hold him back, but he was too strong for me and I fell flat on my face when my legs didn't move and his kept on going. "How did you know what I wanted?"  
  
"Did you know that you think out loud?" He said, helping me up and casting what looked like a genuine smile upon me.  
  
Draco's POV  
  
She's sad, actually. Why couldn't she have just gone with her little friend Weasel or that wretched whining girl Cho Chang? But. . . why was I giving in? Why was I letting her stay with me in the Malfoy estate? Had I grown soft over all these years? Or was there something, in my subconscious, that told me I needed her? 'Perhaps she is going to aid me in the triumph of myself being able to make Hogwarts and all other witchcraft and wizarding schools in the England area completely without halfbreeds and halfbloods. But then again, it would be a Mudblood helping me to do so? She would never agree on such a thing, would she?'  
  
My brain was beginning to ache. It was hard enough to be Minister of Magic, but to be able to pull through diabolical schemes without Wonder Boy noticing, now, that was downright near impossible. I screwed up my face in concentration, but I tried to make my deep train of thought appear unnoticed to Granger who was standing to the my right, gazing up at me. Every time I moved my head, she would move hers. She would follow, with her own, my eyes, and never let me out of her sight. "Ahem," I said, stopping and returning her gaze. "Why have you turned to me?"  
  
Her face became long as her mouth opened and her brow curled. She seemed to be dawdling on what exactly to say, so I just grabbed her hand and continued on walking. Perhaps she thought it would be better to stay in the company of someone as great as myself? Or maybe it was because she knew I had inherited the Malfoy estate after Lestrange killed Father and mother went insane and all. Yes, just another typical Mudblood moocher trying to gain some wealth off of decent, honest working purebloods like myself.  
  
"Well, Draco," she finally said after about another minute of walking. "I thought it to be a better choice of living quarters. After all, you know that I've made some pretty nasty enemies over the years, and once I leave Hogwarts, I'd be completely vulnerable to any attacks they might bestow upon me. I know that as you, the Minister of Magic, your house would be safe and, well, with you guarding it, I'm sure there'd be no need for any extra spells cast upon your home, whether necessary or not."  
  
I shot my best smile at her. "You must take me for a fool, don't you?"  
  
"Beg your pardon?"  
  
"You expect me to believe that crock coming from you? There is a damn good reason you chose to ask me, though I'm not sure there was one for me accepting you into the Malfoy Manor, where only purebloods are suppose to take residence."  
  
Her face turned red. She knew that I had caught her red handed, and that there was really no way to resist. "Yes, you're right. There was a damn good reason I asked you: I want my own room and a place where I can think. Cho has kids, young ones at that, and Dean and Seamus won't leave me alone for ten minutes, bless they're hearts. So yes, I'm a selfish Mudblood who needs to rely on hardworking purebloods like you to get along in life. Happy?"  
  
My lips curled into a wide grin of satisfaction. "Oh, to best you, 'tis like hot cocoa on an early winter's mornin'." Her cheeks puffed up like ripe melons and I could have sworn I saw her blow some steam out of her ears. "Now, Granger, I suppose you'll be coming at the end of term?"  
  
"Yes, Malfoy. I think that we should go on a first-name basis now that I'll be living with you and all. I'll travel by Floo powder, if that's all right. It's the most convenient and because I have so much baggage, the best choice."  
  
"Yes, yes. I will see you then."  
  
I let go of her arm and allowed her to head off towards the other corridor, away from the Great Hall in which we had reached. As she walked further and further down the hall, her sight faded smaller and smaller. It was still unknown to me why I had agreed to let her stay with me, but that didn't seem important now. What was important was Father's portrait keeping cool. The only place I could think to put her was in the guest bedroom, and that was where it hung. 


	3. Malfoy Manor

Nowhere but Up  
  
Chapter 2 - Malfoy Manor  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own anything in this story, sans for the plot. Oh, and JK Rowling is Queen.  
  
"Oh, come off it!" Harry yelled, quite annoyed with his wife, Lavender.  
  
"I saw the way you looked at her!" She sniffled, holding back as many tears as she could and blowing her nose rapidly on a pale pink kerchief. "And the way you just silenced me so you could talk to her!"  
  
Harry sighed angrily. 'How thick can she get?' he thought to himself, all the while pondering on the idea of a divorce. "You know what, Lavender, you're right! I've loved Hermione since as far as I can remember and you were just second best because I knew I could never have Hermione. You were just a person to double for her and those twins right there are just to double for the twins I could have had with Hermione."  
  
Lavender burst out crying even louder and harder. "I knew it!" She said, pointing a finger in accusation. "I knew you always wanted to take her but you couldn't have her! Well look here mister "Lavender's just second best"! I can have any man I want and I don't choose you!"  
  
"How thick can you get, Lavender? I love you! I like Hermione, but as a friend! You are the one I want to spend the rest of my life with, not Hermione! Okay?"  
  
"You mean it?" she sniffled, gripping Harry tightly and resting her head on her chest.  
  
"Of course." He replied, stroking her hair. He lifted her head every so gently and looked her in the eye. "And I don't often say things I don't mean."  
  
"Oh, Harry!" Lavender wrapped her arms around him and planted a juicy kiss on his lips. "I'm sorry for being paranoid. It's just that sometimes I get overly conscious about how I look after giving birth to two baby boys and I mean, look at her! Her body's completely perfect with no flaws whatsoever, and I mean, I'm over here with all this loose skin and stretch marks and, and-!"  
  
"Shh. I think your body's absolutely perfect, and I love what we've created. Aren't they beautiful?"  
  
"Not nearly as beautiful as their daddy."  
  
"Or their mommy. Come on Lavender, let's go rest. It's been a long evening."  
  
Hermione's POV  
  
Three weeks passed by pretty quickly. But I still managed to pencil in a few second-guessing on the plans. What really surprised me, though, was that on the last day of term, every single house presented me with a bouquet of flowers, and oddly enough, the best came from Slytherin house. They were long stemmed white roses, and if I hadn't known better, I would say that the betters were made of silk. Gryffindor presented me with red roses, Hufflepuff daisies, and Ravenclaw chrysanthemums.  
  
But I gathered my things and met Draco at the front gate of Malfoy Manor after traveling there by Floo powder. He was dressed in a long, black coat, a green sweater with silver writing spelling out his name, and black slacks. 'He certainly does look dashing.' I thought as his house elves carried my belongings to the mansion, even though I strongly disagreed, and gazed longingly into his almost silver eyes.  
  
"Welcome to Malfoy Manor, Mudblood."  
  
"Still calling me a Mudblood, are you? Well, it's the least I could expect. Now, show me to my room, Draco."  
  
Draco's eyes twitched. I could tell that he sincerely did not want me to stay there, but what was done was done and there was no going back on it now.  
  
"Well?" I said a little too huffily.  
  
"Testy in the morning, are we?" Draco replied suavely. "Very well. You will be staying in the guest bedroom, and I advise you strongly to change in the adjoining bathroom and try to make your face unseen whenever you enter the room."  
  
I blinked, somewhat stupidly so. "Might I ask why?"  
  
"Yes, you may. You'll find out anyhow, but it probably best that I simply tell you, lest you find out the hard way. My father's portrait hangs in the guest bedroom, and you know how Father is about Muggles, correct? I haven't told him, yet. You know he can move freely from picture to picture, and in able to put a demobilizing spell on a portrait, the one it is of must be asleep. Unlucky for me he never sleeps. 'Keeps rambling on about the Dark Lord and such, though he's long gone. Scarhead really took care of him seventh year."  
  
Draco's POV  
  
"Oi! His fucking portrait is driving me mad! Father, would you shut up for one bloody moment?" I yelled, trying to enjoy some peace and quiet. However, Hermione had been stupid and allowed Father to see her face, and now he was running blindly through picture after picture around the house. 'Sometimes I wonder why I never disowned him. Then I look around and there it is! The reason why.'  
  
Hermione sat on the lounge chair next to mind, sipping her butterbeer. I wanted to ask what was the matter with her, but I didn't bother. She told me anyway. "You know, Draco, there's something very wrong with this picture. Did you ever imagine that I'd be living with you? I mean, all our time spent at Hogwarts, we've loathed each other so, but now, when I need you, we're best friends?"  
  
I rolled my eyes at her and smiled. "Yes, I don't understand either. My brain sometimes works without my knowledge."  
  
"Try all the time." She mumbled under her breath as she sipped her butterbeer.  
  
"I'm off to take a bath. I look filthy, especially chasing that dirty house elf, Peewee, up the chimney to catch her. She'll be immobilized for a while."  
  
The stairs smelt horrible, like of wet paint. Father had obviously caused some leakage on one of the pictures, but it was unsure to me which one it was. "Fuck." I said annoyed. He'd obviously been with mother again and she was the one leaking because her portrait was all crooked and some of the canvas was ripped. "Dirty old man. Should learn to keep himself in his pants."  
  
I reached the master bath that took up the entire eight floor, except for one room that it led into that continued the stairway up more levels on the mansion. The master bath was must like that of the prefects bath room with many tiny scented spheres in different colors and bath salts in every crevice. It was quite relaxing actually, which was why I fancied the master bath the most. I slipped off all my clothes and placed them neatly in the wicker hamper marked "Draco". Then I climbed into the Jacuzzi tub the size of a swimming pool and sunk down beneath the water.  
  
The door creaked open and Hermione entered. I didn't say a thing as she slipped off her clothes and placed them in the hamper across the room marked "Hermione" that I'd had made since she was also permitted to use the master bath and she was now a "member" of the household. She climbed in tub just a few inches from me, still apparently unable to see me through all the bubbles and many colors.  
  
"Surprise." I said, in both a laugh and a stern look of annoyance.  
  
She jumped. "Draco?" Before I could do anything she slapped me hard across the cheek and scowled at me. "What did you see?"  
  
"Everything, right now to your amazing figure. I didn't know a Transfiguration professor could be beautiful." I said, in a joking manner, but meaning every word.  
  
Hermione frowned even harder. She simply moved away so that I was not quite as near to her as we had been in the beginning, but she did not get out or cry or anything as I had expected. Suddenly, an urge that was quite odd to me began to take over. I wanted to grab her kiss her hard, submerge under the water and return to the surface as one, gripping each other tightly, passionately. My urge got so uncontrollable, that I rushed forward and grabbed her head. Our lips met in a steamy kiss and her eyes began to glow brightly.  
  
"Draco?" she whispered, clutching me, too. "Is that you?"  
  
[[Okay, so what do you guys think? I really think that I could go places with this story, unlike my Sailor Moon story which is just kind of sitting there with me unable to do anything productive to it. Anyway, I got this chapter up fairly fast as opposed to the last one. Please review! Review! Review! Review! Thanks you guys and I just wanna say, love ya Jinxi and Cherri! You guys are always there for *kiss*]] 


	4. Wizard Weekly

Nowhere but Up

Chapter 3 – Wizard Weekly

Disclaimer: this is really getting quite annoying

Draco's POV

I awoke with a start. Everything around me was blurry and my throat was groggy. The fire in front of me was crackling loudly and there was an afghan thrown over me haphazardly. I was still in the living room, and I was still covered in soot and ash. So all that had happened in the bath was simply a dream? How could that be? 'Was I really snogging Hermione or was that all just a dream? It felt so real, though.'

The fire was now beginning to go out, and as I looked out the window to my right, I saw that the sun was beginning to rise. I heard rustling, distant was distinct, and Hermione emerged from the shadows wearing a purple shawl over a long, green nighty and purple slippers. She shivered a little and said quietly, "Maybe I should make breakfast before Draco wakes up. He'd like that." Hermione apparently did not realize that I was awake, for I didn't move an inch when she came down, and my head was still nestled under the afghan cozily. 

I decided to pretend to be asleep just till she'd started breakfast, and then I would lazily slip out and rush upstairs before she could see me. "Damn, why am I having these… dream things?" I whispered to myself, slipping out of the afghan's warmth and starting up the stairs.

"Oh, Draco! Is that you?"

"Fuck."

"Draco!"

"Y-yes, Hermione?"

"How'd you sleep?"

She walked out of the kitchen, drying her hands on a yellow dishtowel. Her smile was what lit the room up and kept the sun shining, the moon glowing, and the stars glittering. My hands started to get sweaty and my head started to feel a little clammy. 'Damn it Malfoy, keep it together!' She opened her mouth, about to say something, but she was cut off by my annoying father's wails.

__

"Mud bloods shall not take residence in Malfoy Manor! Draco, how dare you befoul your family by bringing a Muggle into our home! You are no longer my son, Draco Malfoy!" The hauntingly snide voice of my father's portrait echoed throughout the house. 

'He is so goddamn annoying. Why can't he just accept the fact that Hermione is here and she will _be_ here for a while?' I thought to myself absentmindedly. I should have taken the chance I had and ran up the stairs, but Hermione was too quick for me.

"Draco, I hope you had a nice night. The bed was so comfortable – thank you. I finally managed to put a silencing charm on your father's portrait, but just for a few hours. Maybe after breakfast you and I could go shopping. I want to buy some new clothes for some job interviews I have. Would you mind?"

I shook my head weakly. "No, no. I'd love to. That's is to say, fine, whatever." Something about her just took my breath away, but it was too soon to tell if she felt the same way about her. For now, I'd just have to dream about her, no matter how much I wanted to hold her and tell her how I felt. No matter, it was silly anyway. It was silly that I loved a Mudblood and it would never work out, considering my title against hers. Still, I wanted her so much, and no matter what that annoying little voice in my head said, nothing could persuade me otherwise.

Hermione's POV

'Draco's acting odd.' I thought to myself right after the little incident with Lucius Malfoy. It was quite annoying to have to hear him screeching every few moments, but it was something I'd have to just deal with. Draco seemed to not want to be around me, and I could tell by his jumpy reactions that he was nervous for some reason or another. 

"Draco, I hope you had a nice night. The bed was so comfortable – thank you. I finally managed to put a silencing charm on your father's portrait, but just for a few hours. Maybe after breakfast you and I could go shopping. I want to buy some new clothes for some job interviews I have. Would you mind?" I said, smiling hugely. 

"No, no. I'd love to. That's is to say, fine, whatever." He replied with a gulp right before heading upstairs to do god knows what before breakfast. 

I had had a strange dream the night before. He said he was heading up to the bath after chasing Peewee up the chimney, and I followed him. I didn't acknowledge his presence until he said something, and then we just erupted in a pool of kisses in the bubbly bath surrounded by fragrant, colorful globes and scented candles all along shelves high up near the ceiling. It was an odd sort of dream, one I'd never had before, but it felt so right. 'No, you can never be with him.' Said that annoying little voice in my head. 'But I want him so bad.' I thought in reply to the voice. 'I want him more than anything and I'm not exactly sure why. I have to tell him. But then he might get scared and kick me out. Maybe I'll just hint it to him, kiss him on accident, throw a few moves out.' I nodded to myself.

Breakfast passed by quickly and we set out to the tailor in Diagon Alley. I wanted to tell him how I felt so badly, and it took every ounce of strength I had to hold myself back. We'd been silent for about a half-hour now, and something needed to break the ice. Several times I tried to speak, but every time I was shot down by my own head and unable to keep a conversation going. 'Maybe he doesn't want to talk to you,' I thought to myself. 'Maybe it's just you who wants to have a decent conversation and talk to him.'

Finally, something _did_ break the ice. Pansy Parkinson strode up to us with a wide smile on her face. I couldn't see where Draco had been when he'd called her a fat oaf that day in one of the Hogwarts corridors – she was actually quite stunning. She'd slimmed down considerably, but her arrogant smile was still in tact on that pale face of hers. "Hello, Draco." Pansy said, taking his arm in hers. "And who are you?" She said, peering around him and into my eyes. 

I cleared my throat and grinned. "Hermione Granger. Long time no see, Piggy." I was unsure if everyone stilled called her Piggy Parkinson, but that story behind that name was priceless, and I would never forget it. However, there would be time to reminisce about things like that later. For now, the matter at hand was trying to pry some information out of her about Draco. "Sorry, Pansy. Old habits are hard to kick, ya know?"

Pansy glowered at me in disgust. "Draco, why are _you_ with _her_ in _Diagon Alley_, when all this time you should be with me!"

Draco sighed in annoyance. He rolled his eyes and ripped his arm away from Pansy's. "You, Piggy," he said quickly, "do you not understand the words 'I don't love you'? Because I can't imagine how many times I've said it for it to sink into your thick skull."

Pansy stopped, looking very violated and flabbergasted. "Well, Draco Malfoy, I don't love you either! I just thought that we could be friends. It shows that a _Mudblood_ is kinder than a _Malfoy_!" With that, she skipped off, dropping the magazine that had been in her arms all this time. I bent down and picked it up, stumbling backwards and almost knocking poor Draco over.

"What?" he said, holding me steady and peering over my shoulder to get a good look at the magazine. His eyes became wide and he read aloud, "'Wizard Weekly's #1 Witch for the third consecutive month now, Pansy Parkinson, is running against Padma Patil for head director of the Department of Social Life at the Ministry of Magic. Wizard Weekly strongly supports Pansy Parkinson for both her beauty, knowledge of social life, and her generous contribution to 'Weekly every two weeks.' So, she's _buying_ her way into Wizard Weekly's good side."

I laughed uncontrollably. "They call her _beautiful_? And what, pray tell, is the Department of Social Life, anyway? I imagine they can't be too helpful if they're called the Department of Social Life?"

Draco nodded. "Yes, those annoying girly-girls voted it in two years ago. They thought it necessary to have a good view of what social life in the wizarding world nowadays, and since it was a two-thirds overrule, I couldn't do much. Anyway, we've reached the tailor."


	5. Sleep

Nowhere but Up

Chapter 4 – Sleep

Disclaimer: the usual

Draco's POV

"Here we are. The tailor." I said, taking a deep breath a strolling towards the entrance. The last time I'd been in the tailor, Pansy had walked in and starting mauling me with kisses that took two weeks to scrub off in the shower. Hermione smiled at me with that warm glow she possessed, and my knees nearly buckled. 'Keep it together, Malfoy.' I thought determinedly. 

Hermione stepped up the front desk to talk to Madam Malkin. Madam Malkin came to the desk and smiled at us, her withered eyes bright as ever to finally have a customer. "Hermione? Is that you?" Madam Malkin adjusted her glasses and smiled widely. "Oh, Hermione Granger! It's been a long time, it has, dear."

I watched Hermione set off that warm glow with another smile, but to Madam Malkin this time. "I can't believe you remember me. That was years ago, right before my seventh year when I needed some new robes after… _Draco_ had cursed them to grow fungus at the end of sixth year. No bother, they were getting short anyhow." Hermione turned towards me and gave me a wink. I remembered that. I had cursed her robes to grow fungus because she'd angered me for one reason or another. 'But it really wasn't that hard to get on my bad side in those days,' I thought to myself jokingly. 

Madam Malkin smiled and nodded. "Well, Miss Granger, step on back here and I'll tailor you up some robes." They were swallowed by the massive, golden-brown, moth-eaten curtains that hung behind the clerk's desk, leading into a room with four large sets of curtains, much like that of the first set, leading into four smaller changing rooms. I waited out in the main room and materialized some butterbeer and a few magazines, including the Daily Prophet. Since Hermione had whisked me away so soon, I hadn't had the chance to read what that new writer had said about me.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, Hermione came back out of the room, holding bunches of robes. She paid Madam Malkin and smiled at me, my feet and legs beginning to feel like goo as she did so. "Thank you, Madam Malkin. You have been very helpful to me and I thank you for the exquisite robes."

Madam Malkin gave Hermione a toothy smile and ushered us out of her shop. "Finally." I said with an annoying little nagging tone I'd cooked up just for Hermione. "It seemed like _hours_."

Hermione glared at me, but soon replaced her glare with a rather wide grin. She didn't get mad, but she playfully punched my shoulder and snapped her finger as if calling a dog, saying, "Come on, little Draco. Come on!" I played along with her and growled, and she laughed hard. Her lips spread and revealed her perfectly white teeth, which played a part in once again, setting off her magnificent glow that nearly melted me.

"Okay, so where are we off to now?" I said, once again regaining my composure. She looked into my eyes, but I stared at a rather large wizard trying to hook a trunk onto his broomstick. Hermione shrugged, and I nodded in response, "Well, I've got to be getting to the Ministry, so would you like to come along?"

"I'm not sure I'm welcome there." She replied timidly, looking down at the cobblestone road we were walking on. Her heels clanked against the stone and my boots made an utterly annoying noise I couldn't quite place my finger on. She continued, "After that incident with the House Elf Committee Meeting, I'm not sure I could ever show my face in the Ministry building again."

I smiled down at her. Unfortunately, bad habits were hard to kick, and I'm sure it appeared to be something as a superior smile, but she didn't mind. She looked up at me into my eyes and smiled back, but it was weak, and it did not set off her warm glow that I so admired. "Don't worry," I said confidently, "I'm the Minister of Magic. I can make anything happen."

Hermione still did not look convinced. "Yes, I know you are, but you are not all powerful, Draco." I stopped in my tracks and stood to look at her, my eyes wide with disbelief at what she was saying. "You are just another person who thinks they are the most powerful being on earth _just_ because they hold the top position in the government. Take the Muggles, for instance. They have a government, but instead of a Minister of Magic, they have a Prime Minister. The Prime Minister thinks he is the all powerful being who controls the fate of England, so does the Queen and King, Prince and Princess. But they _don't_! They are just another group of people blinded by the little bit of power they have!"

Hermione's POV

The iciness in Draco's eyes had come back. I didn't feel quite as safe with him anymore, but I knew for a fact that I still loved him. He looked on the verge of crying out of anger, perhaps challenging me to a dual right in the heart of Diagon Alley. But I stood my ground. What I'd said was true, and I wasn't going back on my own beliefs just to satisfy one person. 

"I'm moving out."

He shot right out of his daze of anger. "W-_what_?" he stammered, staring at me in disbelief, "It's only been a day, Hermione!"

"Yes, I realize it's only been a day, but I've contacted Cho. I'm moving in with her and her two daughters. Draco, believe me, I'm really, really sorry."

I knew that Draco was really on the verge of crying now. I didn't quite know why, and I knew that he wouldn't tell me, so I didn't question him any further. Instead, I simply brushed his cheek with my hand and smiled. "Cheer up! Why did you even want a silly old _Mudblood_ in your house anyway? I'm sure it'll be much better this way."

He nodded and forced out a weak smile, taking my hand in his and setting it down by my side. "When?" he said, his voice growing hoarse.

"This Thursday, which is in two days." He grimaced sadly and nodded. "Draco, look! I'm really, really, really sorry! Draco, look at me!" But he refused to look me in the eye. I was still clueless as to why, and my little bit of stupidity got the better of me, and I didn't ask. Instead, I just looked to the cobblestone road we were standing on as the water between the stones rushed passed us. 

Draco still would not look at me, even when I grabbed his arm and pleaded with him. "Leave _now_." He barked, his iciness coming back more than ever. The warm feeling I had gotten whenever he talked was gone now, replaced with the coldness he'd had throughout our Hogwarts education. "I want you gone by tonight."

I stood completely still, my mouth wide open. 'Maybe he was joking.' I thought. Still, I didn't even believe my own reasoning, and I had this strange feeling that he wanted to rip my heart out and run it around Diagon Alley for all to see. It was easy for me to do what I'd done, considering the way I felt about him, but it was not right for us to be in the same house together. Tears began welling in my eyes as I choked out, "Why, Draco?"

"Another, thing," he continued with the same hatred he'd had when he told me to leave, "I'd thank you to call me Mr. Malfoy. Though we were in school together, that still does not vanquish the line between the Minister of Magic and his subject. Now, leave my sight before I throw you in Azkaban for disobeying your Minister."

I stuck my chin in the air and forced as much poise and composure I had to the surface. "Well, I really _do_ hope you're happy, _Malfoy_!" I lifted my foot and stomped it hard on the stone road, nearly breaking the heel, and I flounced away.

Once he was out of seeing distance or even earshot, I slowed my pace down and began to mumble to myself. "Who the hell does he think he is?" "What crawled up his ass today?" "Why is he being such a goddamn prick to me now?" "He can go screw himself for all I care." Finally, I cracked. I knew it wasn't true. I knew it wasn't so. There was a small bench a little ways to my left, and I slumped down on it, buried my face in my hands, and let out long but silent wails of both confusion and hurt.

"Why?" I whispered to myself, not caring if people looked at me or ridiculed me for crying on a bench in Diagon Alley. "Why did he have to be so mean? Maybe if he knew that I loved him…" _'Come off, Hermione, old girl. He's not going to love you back, and he'll just wind up hurting you even more. Just dry your eyes and get out of Diagon Alley. Tell Cho you've got to be out by tonight, and go there. Cho will welcome you with open arms and make it feel all better.'_ That nagging voice that only spoke to me logically was ringing in my head again. It did not know how to feel compassion, which is why it pushed me in the opposite direction my heart as pulling me towards.

But, nonetheless, the voice was right, and it would be smart to listen to it. So I got up and walked out of Diagon Alley, and used Floo powder to get back to Malfoy Manor, in order to contact Cho. I longed to tell Draco _exactly_ the way I felt, but I knew deep down in my heart he'd never feel the same way about me. As soon as I got back to Malfoy Manor, I quickly looked around for Draco – he wasn't there. _'Oh, yeah! He said he had to go to the Ministry. Today **is** Tuesday, a work day.'_ I thought to myself as I turned back to the fire, threw Floo powder into it, and stuck just me head into it, calling out Cho's address.

Cho's POV

"Daisy! Rose! What are you doing?" I yelled at the twins at my feet who were apparently trying to strangle each other. They looked up at me and both started to spit out excuses, but I shook my head. "No excuses. _Wingardium Leviosa!_" I said, and they both came to eye-level with me. "Now, Rose, tell me your side of the story, then you can, Daisy."

__

"Cho? Cho are you here?"

"Hold on." I said, putting them both down gently and walking over to the fire. Hermione's face was in it! "Hermione? What are you doing in my fire?"

__

"Funny." She said, swimming in a pool of sarcasm. _"Listen, there has been a change of plans. When I told His Royal Highness Draco, he got all upset and now I have to move out now. Do you think you'll be ready for me by tomorrow morning?"_

"But where are you going to spend for the night?"

__

"You live a bit away from Malfoy Manor, so the Knight Bus of course."

"Oh, Hermione. I'm so sorry for you. Yes, of course we will be ready for you whenever you come. We're just putting the finishing touches on your room, so you could just Apparate here."

__

"No, I'll take the Knight Bus. Apparating never did appeal to me, and you know that very well, Cho! So, I'll see you then. And give Daisy and Rose a hug for me, okay?"

"Well, they were trying to strangle each other again so now I'm trying to get the story, but okay, I suppose _one_ hug won't hurt." I laughed heartily and watched as Hermione's head disappeared from my fire. Then I walked back over to my daughters and gave them each a hug. "Now, those were from Aunt Hermione, okay. Where were we? Oh yes… Rose?"

Draco's POV

I was beginning to get desperate. _'Why did I go and get Pansy Parkinson?'_ I thought to myself. "So, Draco, finally saw that being seen with a Mudblood would not be good for the Minister's look?" Pansy purred into my ear.

  
"Yeah. I guess so." I began to feel myself slipping into a daze. There I was, with Hermione, standing in the middle of Diagon Alley, staring into her eyes and… I shook myself out of my stupor. "So, how about we go out and have a Muggle prepared meal in London?"

Pansy's eyes opened up very wide. "You really mean it? I've always wanted to go to this cute little restaurant called 'Willow's Café' but no one ever wanted to go with me. Let's go!" She grabbed my hand and dragged me down the street, out of Diagon Alley. I really didn't want to go with her, but it was worth it to get away from Hermione, away from Malfoy Manor, away from the wizarding world, even if it was only for a few hours.

The world around me was starting to spin. All the colors and shapes were beginning to merge together so that I felt like I was in a beautiful dream-world. Pansy's hand began to grow sweaty in mine, but suddenly, she began to drift away. Nothing was around me now, and I was in a completely empty vortex of pure black. _Where am I?_ I opened my mouth, but nothing came out, not even a squeak. Suddenly, everything came back into view, and I saw Pansy standing over me.

There were muffled voices all around me, but the colors were still swirled and the shapes still abstract. Pansy's face was blurry and I couldn't feel the air around me, not even when she brushed up against my cheek. _'Did she kiss me?'_ I thought, my head throbbing and my eyelids becoming heavy. My eyelids became too heavy and I drifted into a deep sleep. I could still hear the voices around me.

"Is he going to be okay?"

"I'm not sure, Miss Parkinson."

"But what's wrong with him?"

"Again, I'm not sure, Miss Parkinson."

What _was_ wrong with me?


	6. First Kiss

Nowhere but Up

Chapter 5 – First Kiss

Disclaimer: I'm really getting tired of these things, you know… my plot, J.K's characters.

Pansy's POV

I couldn't see anything except for blurred outlines of remote objects. The tears that were building in my tear ducts were obstructing my vision. Draco had been in St. Mungo's for three days, and all the while, I stayed faithfully by his side. The Healers still did not know his illness and why he would not wake up, and this unnerved me beyond no end.

One of the Healers working with Draco strode over to me. She bore a worried look on her face, and I knew that the news couldn't be very good if it had the Healers looking like that. "Miss Parkinson?" she said. Her voice was meek and childish, but held a certain strength, making her sound slightly older than the young thing she was.

"Y-yes, Madam Healer?"

"Miss Parkinson, Mister Malfoy isn't doing so well. Technically, he is fine, as his vitals all show, but…" Her saddened voice began to trail.

"But? But _what_?"

"But there is no sign of life. Yes, his brain is working at full capacity, but it seems that his heart is not. I say this is metaphorical terms, so not to worry. It seems he's suffered a massive blow to his emotions, which is what sent him into his kind of… sleep. I've seen this kind of thing occur in Muggle films. It seems that the only way to break this… how you say, _curse_, is for the afflicted being to be kissed by their true love."

I nodded. "Thank you, Madam Healer." I said, forcing a smile, desperately trying to raise spirits. "Perhaps I know just the person to break the curse. Then again, perhaps I do not. Nonetheless, please excuse me, I'd like a moment with Draco."

The Healer nodded and walked out of the secluded room Draco had been put in. Sun shone in brightly from the bay window next to Draco's bed. Somehow, the sun saddened me, and I would have thought it to raise my spirit. However, I walked over to Draco's side, and sat on the uncomfortably cushioned chair positioned next to it.

"Draco?" I said, though I knew it to be in vain. "I know you can't hear me, but any time you're ready, I'm ready to listen. This may not come to you as a shock, but I loved you since about our first year at Hogwarts. Nothing would have pleased me more than to be at your side, to be your girlfriend, to be the one you held dear in your heart. I leaned over him and my lips brushed against his. I drew back, and waited for a moment.

Nothing.

__

'Well, I knew it wouldn't work. It was worth a try, though, right?' I thought to myself. "Hold on, Draco. I'll be back with your _real_ true love. I just hope I get back before… before your heart gives up hope."

Hermione's POV

"Rose!" I yelled, picking up the squirming five-year-old. "What did Mommy tell you?"

Rose sighed and rolled her eyes. "To not climb up the chimney."

"Good. Now go wash up. Your mother will be home any minute now." I heard a knock on the door. "You see? Now run along!"

Rose nodded and did so obediently. I walked to the door and flung it open, only to be surprised by the face of a blonde with sad eyes and a worried expression. "Pansy?"

Pansy grabbed my arms and flung me outside. "You have to come with me to St. Mungo's!"

I blinked rapidly and wriggled free of her grip. "What? What are you _talking_ about, Pansy? Why do I have to go to St. Mungo's? Is everything all right with Draco?"

She shook her head swiftly. "No, he's _not_ all right and that's the problem! But there's something you can do to help! Now you have to come with me to St. Mungo's _now_!"

Clearly, she was worried about Draco, but I shook off the burden and started back in the door. "No. I have two little girls that need to be watched and – DAISY! ROSE! – I'm sorry, but I have to go. Tell Draco I'm sorry for his condition and give him a hug for me. NO! STOP CHOKING EACH OTHER! I'm very sorry but I have to go. Bye!" I shut the door in Pansy's face and rushed over to the twins who were trying to kill each other, _again_.

However, once I'd gotten the twins pulled apart from each other, Pansy burst through the door. She did not want to give up and stated that she'd watch the two girls if I agreed to go to St. Mungo's. "Believe me, I'm _great_ with children. I have four younger brothers and two younger sisters! Go! He needs your help!"

I sighed and nodded. "Oh, fine! Now what do I have to do?"

"Kiss him."

"_What_?"

"You heard me! You have to kiss Draco."

"Something tells me this is all just a big hoax to see if I like Draco enough to kiss him or not."

"Would I have spent an hour to find out where you were just to drag you down to St. Mungo's so you could kiss Draco and cure him if this were all just a big hoax? I think not! Now go! I beg of you!"

I nodded and got on my broomstick, headed towards St. Mungo's. It was quite late out and I was sure nobody would see me, hint why I didn't take the Knight Bus. When I got to St. Mungo's, they directed me towards Draco's room, and I stood there for a moment.

He looked sad, really. Something must have really been tearing him up inside, and I just wanted to wrap my arms around him and tell him that it was all better. I would have, had he not be asleep. So I walked towards him, slowly, unsure, hoping it wasn't a joke.

I leaned over him. His skin was milky soft under my fingers as I dragged them down his cheeks. Sitting on the side of his bed, I propped him up with difficulty. He was limp and pretty much lifeless. _"All you have to do is kiss him."_ Those words were ringing in my ears as I brushed my lips up against his. They lingered there for a while until a tongue delved into my mouth and mine into the mouth the tongue had sprang from. I felt Draco's strong arms grip me and tilt me back, sending blood rushing to my head. It felt like a dream come true, really.

Finally, I pulled away and sat upright. I stared into his silver-blue eyes, mesmerized. He stared into my chocolate brown ones, also mesmerized. We sat like that for what seemed like hours, until a Healer burst in and ran over to Draco's side. "Oh my God! Young lady, you've cured him! What's your name?"

"Her-Hermione Granger, Madam Healer. And… and what do you mean by 'I've cured him'?" And then she explained it all. About true love. About how only true love's kiss could brake the spell Draco had been sent into. Then it hit me. He loved me too.


	7. Epilogue

Nowhere but Up

Epilogue

Disclaimer: My plot, J.K Rowling's characters.

A/N: Yeah, I'm sorry, but Jinxy was right, the story's over. ^^;; There's really nothing left to say. But, as requested, I'm writing an epilogue. Remember, it's only going to be a couple paragraphs, because, I mean, it's an epilogue. A page at the most. ^^

After their brief, momentary kiss, life seemed to get better for Hermione and Draco. However, Pansy always had this one gaping hole inside of her that only Draco would _ever_ be able to fill. She decided, soon after Hermione and Draco's wedding, that there was nothing left for her in this world, and attempted a go at suicide.

The curse she'd tried didn't quite work, though, and merely sent her into unconsciousness. She was shipped to St. Mungo's right away, where she met her new night in shining armor, an old school "chum", Oliver Wood. After a very bad accident on a broomstick, he'd decided to discontinue his dream of being the greatest Quidditch player, and became a Healer. After she broke the coma, Pansy was completely in awe of him, and they, too, were soon wed.

Hermione and Draco's lives, however, started to go downhill. A new Minister of Magic was elected and Hermione was still without employment. They had two children, Amelia and Jason, and they didn't exactly do well in Hogwarts. Amelia dropped out of Hogwarts in her second year and joined the "reincarnation" of Lord Voldemort. When her younger brother, Jason, entered his third year, she killed him, orders from her new lord.

However, Hermione and Draco's love stayed strong, that is, until the death of their youngest. Hermione was sent to St. Mungo's a week after the funeral, on account of her newfound insanity. Draco got his job back as Minister of Magic, but refused the position. He had enough galleons to last him a lifetime, and didn't need a job. Everyday, he went to visit Hermione in the hospital. And everyday, she questioned the existence of him.

Eventually, Amelia's body was found in the depths of the old Riddle house. This was what finally got to Draco, and he soon accompanied his wife in St. Mungo's. Their love never broke its strong net, but their lives sure did…

A/N: Okay, okay, okay. Not exactly what you expected, right? Yeesh, I didn't even stick to the description of the story _or_ the title. Nonetheless, I think this is the ending the story needed. I don't believe in all those pansy-wansy stories where everyone's happy at the end, because, even though this is fiction, there should be reality in the story, and there is certainly reality to be found in this epilogue. So, review, and if you guys liked the outcome, I might just make a sequel (how? I've killed all my characters! You'll see… hehe).

P*e*a*c*h*y


End file.
